The present disclosure relates generally to a foam substructure for a heat exchanger.
Heat exchangers are used in a variety of settings and for many purposes. For example, liquid-to-air heat exchangers are used throughout industry and in many heating, ventilating, air conditioning, and refrigeration applications. The latter applications include residential, commercial, and industrial air conditioning systems in which heat exchangers serve as both condensers and evaporators in a thermal cycle. In general, when used as an evaporator, liquid or primarily liquid refrigerant enters a heat exchanger and is evaporated to draw thermal energy from an air flow stream that is drawn over the heat exchanger coils, tubes, and/or fins. When used as a condenser, the refrigerant enters in a vapor phase (or a mixed phase) and is de-superheated, condensed, and sub-cooled in the condenser.
In some cases, gaps or openings may be present between a cover and a coil of the heat exchanger, which may reduce efficiency during heat exchanger operation. Accordingly, it is now recognized that it may be desirable to reduce air flow in the gap or opening between the cover and the heat exchanger coil.